Pizza Hut wing bowl recognised for recyclable packaging innovation

Anchor Packaging and Pizza Hut have received the 2026 Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Recycling Leadership Award for the development of a recyclable wing bowl designed for food delivery and takeaway applications.

The award, presented in the Package Design Innovation category, recognises packaging that supports improved recyclability while meeting the practical requirements of foodservice. Anchor Packaging, now part of Georgia-Pacific's Foodservice Solutions platform, collaborated with Pizza Hut on the design and development of the container.

The redesigned wing bowl is intended to help maintain food quality during transport while also improving operational efficiency in restaurants. Chicken wings can be coated with sauce directly in the container, reducing preparation steps, while the design allows customers to shake the container to redistribute the sauce before eating.

The packaging also incorporates features intended to improve recyclability. In addition to using post-consumer recycled polypropylene (PP), the container has been redesigned without carbon black and excess mineral fillers, making it easier for recycling systems to identify and process the material. According to the companies, the design could also help increase the supply of food-grade recycled PP available to recyclers and packaging manufacturers.

This recognition by the Association of Plastic Recyclers is an exciting moment for Anchor Packaging, as well as for our partner, Pizza Hut^®. Together, we've developed and manufactured an innovative product that excels in food-to-go performance, and its recycled content paves a path to future increases in the use of recycled content by other companies.

Jeff Wolff, president – Anchor Packaging.

The APR Recycling Leadership Awards recognise developments that support advances in plastics recycling, celebrating packaging designers, manufacturers, researchers and innovators working to improve the recyclability of plastic packaging. The 2026 award winners were announced on 25 February.